Dramatic biblical themes abound at present, we seem to have experienced a set of mini-plagues in a highly Exodus-esque fashion. First there was our own version of the flooding of the Nile (or rather, the Thames) as Storm Ciara battered our sceptred isle with her relentless deluge, now we have a biblical plague in the form of the gruesome Corona Virus. It seems remarkably fitting to come across a project during these terribly challenging times which focuses on conversation and preservation of life and makes me think of our own desire to preserve that which is precious to us.
The Noah’s Ark Foundation comes from the inimitable mind of the former PR guru, Richard Prinsloo Curson, his vision comes in the form of a remarkable GBP 10 billion project to build a vast 21st Century take on Noah’s Ark. Fantastical as this sounds this is certainly no vanity project, Richard has cashed in his own business in order to give life to this conservation goliath. The concept, Richard explains, has taken inspiration from the ubiquitous Genesis story; “We all know the original story of Noah’s Ark being in the water, but this will be a ‘land ark’, where an example of a huge number of the earth’s animals and plants will be preserved and conserved.”
The Ark itself will come in the form of 13 geo-domes which have been likened to the structures in the Eden Project in Cornwall. Three of the domes which will recreate the environment of the Amazon, polar ice caps and the desert, will be the largest structures of their kind in the world at a breath taking 30 stories high and 230m in diameter.
The geo-domes will be created from smart glass which allows for a highly sophisticated control of the inner climate to create balanced eco-systems for the animals within.
The Noah’s Ark project and all of the conversation benefits comes at a price, but this yields an opportunity for everyone to take part in a unifying concept which would provide the foundation for unfathomable advancement to research surrounding rare and protected species of animals. “We are reaching out to the world”, Richard states, “we want to win the support of every single person on the planet. Our aim is to inspire everyone everywhere to get involved so that humanity will work together as one to protect the circle of life.”
The domes alone will cost GBP 3 billion to build, so it is certainly a titanic undertaking. The Noah’s Ark Foundation, which will manage the park and is a non-profit organisation, is calling for people who support this extraordinary vision to donate just £5 towards its creation. The domes, which would be constructed in South Africa, would need to minutely balance the inhabitant species contained within in order to ensure a harmonious ecosystem. “There is no room for mistakes, so lots of work will be done before animals are introduced”, Richard explains.
The initial stages of this ground breaking project will commence in August 2020 and donations can be made at www.noahsark.life/donate
